Advent
by Gibder
Summary: December 31, 2014: The Buried Day. On this day, Tokyo should have been wiped clean from the face of the earth, but was saved by a miracle. Come the new year, almost every single person had forgotten about that day, save for a few chosen individuals. RxL
1. Prologue

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my last story. I won't be continuing it anymore but will be making a new one with a few similar elements. This story was inspired by a game I played before called "the world ends with you" or TWEWY. I wrote a story on it a few years ago called TWBWY (The world begins with you) and it got a little popular. I can't access the account I used for that story anymore so unfortunately I had to end it abruptly. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one :)

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><p>"You may delay…but time will not"<br>- Benjamin Franklin

Advent  
>Chapter 1: Prologue<p>

(Len's POV)

December 31ist, 2014…also known as the buried day. When the next year came around, everyone around me had forgotten that day ever existed. I was only 6 years old then, but I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I thought I was going crazy because of the bad New Year's dinner, but it turns out I wasn't just seeing things after all. The evening sky was being ripped apart by holes that suddenly popped up from nowhere. If I could compare, I'd say they looked a lot like black holes.

At that point, things were starting to go haywire. Buildings were falling, people were screaming and cars were flying. For the first time in the first 6 years of my life, I thought I was gonna die. It was then that "It" showed up. Among all the black holes tearing Tokyo apart, a single green light appeared high in the sky – higher than any of the black holes. As it shun, it slowly sprayed the city with tiny green crystals as if it was snowing. Looking at the falling 'snow' was the last thing I could remember before everything went black. When I woke up the next morning, no one could understand a thing I was saying because to them, December 31ist was just their yearly celebration. It was as if the year ended on a simple and uninteresting note.

But for me…that day marked the end for any chance of a normal life.

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><p>(Normal POV)<p>

- Ten years after the Buried Day incident. June 21, 2025 -

"Shegeru…Shegeru" An automated voice emanated from a stopping train, informing its passengers that the locomotive had now ceased. Many passengers stepped out in a hurry to attend to their work, but there were also those who took their time leisurely. Among the latter crowd was a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a thin white sleeveless jacket over a dark long sleeved shirt rolled up a little lower than his elbow. The emotion on his face showed very little enthusiasm for the day ahead of him as he walked with a casual pace.

One of the first things people would see once out of Shegeru station is a large monitor used for commercial or news purposes. The boy stopped as he heard the voice of a local reporter on-screen. As the news anchor spoke, the picture of a teenage girl with short black hair appeared just above the headline.

"In other news, fans of rising artist Rina Mine have sent a number of complaints and letters regarding the singer's sudden disappearance. Just a month ago, rumors had spread that the 17 year old had actually gone missing in contrast to her manager's on-going claim that she was simply on vacation" Once the topic had shifted, the boy continued to tread on the streets of Shegeru. He wasn't particularly interested in the news that went around, but he felt that it may work to his advantage at some point. He was simply the type that was open to information.

As he walked along, the boy passed people left and right that were either suited up for work or dressed up for a casual stroll in the energetic city. The green pedestrian light lit up at a large crossing, and it was at that very moment that something strange had happened. It only took a moment, but the young man noticed a single student quickly and completely disappear from his sight. It seemed all the more strange when not a single person reacted to the student's abrupt exit. When the boy had reached the other side of the crossing, he stopped, and with a sigh he remembered that it was only him that could 'see' these things happen. He didn't know why he was the only one; all he knew was that ever since 'that' day, he'd noticed a number of strange occurrences.

"You saw that, didn't you?" A female voice suddenly muttered, drawing the distracted teenager's attention to a young girl staring right at him. "You're not alone. There are others just like you" she added with a welcoming smile. She had yellow hair just like him, albeit lighter in shade, styled in a fashionable manner that wasn't too loud, not too subtle. Glancing at her once, the boy continued to walk past her, but was stopped by the stranger's next words.

"It's Len, right? Len Kagami?" The boy's suspicion only grew with that question. Her guess was right, although it seemed more than an educated guess.

"And what if it is?" The teenager named Len replied, his alertness starting to kick in as he analyzed the yellow haired girl. Aside from her physical features, she wore clothes that consisted of a maroon short-sleeved shirt with a zip-on hood, a music player hanging by her neck, black shorts and dark brown boots. Lastly, a long belt hung by the right side of her shorts. For some reason, the girl looked strangely familiar.

"We've been looking for you" the girl uttered, stepping closer to Len. As she did, the layout of the whole area quickly began to change. The buildings disappeared, the roads vanished and the surrounding crowd had now faded away. Everything began to shift until finally, the two teenagers were standing just above a huge body of water: the ocean. It was an unbelievable change of scenery, but the moving waters lying below a sunset horizon all seemed and felt too real.

"What…the hell?" An awed Len muttered as he stared at where his two feet were planted. It was as if an invisible sheet of glass was slipped under his feet. "This can't be real! None of this could possibly be real"

"It's as real as it can get" the girl contrasted, clasping her hands behind her. "But you've already seen things in the past that aren't exactly _normal_, haven't you?" At that, the young man stopped. It was true that he'd experienced the abnormal ever since he was six years old. People occasionally disappearing, shops suddenly changing their whole look and name in just a single day, and the _worst_ of it all was something Len didn't even want to think about.

"So then…just who the heck are you, anyway?" Len interrogated, causing the stranger to smile.

"I didn't want to say it in public, but I guess it's okay now. My name's Rina Mine, but feel free to call me Rin. Nice to meet you!" As if things couldn't be anymore surprising, the one person who turned the world upside down happened to be the singer thought to be "missing". Len couldn't fully believe her, but when he thought about it, he did see the similarities. It was no wonder why he thought she looked familiar awhile back.

"Don't worry though. We're still actually in the real world; or at least, another representation of it"

"And what kind of representation is _this_, exactly?" Len replied with a sarcastic tone.

"My representation" the girl added matter-of-factly before pointing to a single object behind Len. "See that door over there? That's where the crossing was, and that door represents the person who just disappeared" As she spoke, Rin took notice of a few dark circles swirling near the door. Although Len couldn't figure out what it was, he could feel a bad presence emanating from these objects and backed away instinctively.

"You might wanna stay behind me this time" Rin noted, reaching into her pocket to take out what seemed like a normal pink cellphone. Flipping the lid up, she pointed the phone towards one of the circles with a steady arm. " Len thought that if whatever he was feeling was a bad omen, then it wouldn't be a good idea to try taking a picture of it instead of running.

The boy grunted, "Hey! What the hell are you doing? This isn't the time to take a new blog photo!"

Ignoring the yelling voice, Rin kept her focus on the target. "Forte!" She exclaimed, starting up the cellphone with a quick spark.

Slowly, the circle grew in size until finally; a four-legged figure rushed out of it and dashed towards the girl, only to be met with a burst of light that enveloped the black figure. Everything had happened in a split second, leaving Len to guess what had just happened. Suddenly, three more unknown beings rushed out, with one of them being disposed of by the same attack. Stepping to the right to avoid their charge, the girl pulled out from her pocket a small knife with a glowing blue edge.

Rin evaded the wolf-like creature again, this time hitting it with a quick slash once she moved out of harm's way. Another enemy approached, but she did the same to that one as well before shooting the downed hostile with another shot from the phone's lens. One more creature approached from behind, but the girl hastily turned around and pointed it straight at the enemy's face, obliterating it with one more shot. Len watched as the creatures all faded away into dust.

"Not bad if I do say so myself" Rin chuckled as she closed the lid of her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. In all honesty, a part of Len actually believed that whatever happened ever since he met Rin was real. It was probably because of the few paranormal experiences he'd already come across in his life. Even so, the teen still found himself speechless.

"What…what were those things?" Len finally muttered, staring at his companion with uncertain eyes as the waves below him continued to flow.

"They're called the 'Keii'. It's because of them that these strange things are happening" As she spoke, the young lady walked closer to the door until her hand could firmly grasp the knob. "Those people disappear because the Keii use them as 'payments' to try and enter the normal world. All of this may sound unbelievable…but what you've witnessed just now exceeds anything you'd see on your usual day"

Once the door had been opened, the scenery began to revert to its former bustling noises, blinking lights, towering buildings and clattering footsteps.

"We're…back?" The yellow haired boy said as he looked around. He was indeed back In Shegeru.

"Yup, you can relax now" Rin replied with a smile. "I 'stabilized' the bridge that the Keii made using that person awhile ago. Unfortunately…he can't be brought back, but at the very least, we can prevent an even bigger problem from happening. This is one of our jobs – the job of an 'Engraved'"

At that point, Len felt a mix of emotions. He felt relieved that there were actually people just like him, yet unsure if that was a good thing or not because of the circumstances. Throughout his life, Len always tried to see the reality in life even through the abnormalities he'd come across. There was just a big part of him that didn't want anything to do with these supernatural occurrences.

"So what you're getting at is…I'm this so-called Engraved just like you?"

"That's right. I was assigned to come get you. In the end, it's your choice whether to accept all this or not. We can't force you to do something you don't wanna do…but please hear us out first before making a decision"

But even though there was a part of Len that refused to be involved with the current matter, there was also a side of him that wanted to know the truth. Just by witnessing this single event, the teenager had a good hunch it wouldn't be a smooth ride, but the practical person that he is, giving a certain topic some thought was something he did on a regular basis.

"Tch…I guess I don't really have a choice now, do I? I've got some time to kill so I'll hear you out" The boy mumbled with his slightly monotonous tone, making a big smile show on his new friend's face. He wanted to know the truth, no matter how bizarre it could possibly be. After all, he'd gone through enough to face whatever would come next.


	2. Wake up, Adagio

It's me again. Just wanted to thank everyone for their support so far. I also wanted to note that even if there are a few sci-fi elements here and there, this story won't actually lean to that genre all the time as it is a mix of themes, most especially containing fantasy elements like the human Psyche. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

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><p>Advent<br>Chapter 2: Wake up, Adagio

Len stopped behind his companion as both of them stared at the popular Shegeru mall named '10-1'. It was situated right at the center of multiple wide crossings, all of which branched out to either reach the large mall or head on elsewhere.

"We're not here for clothes, are we?" Len started, arms crossed as he looked up to the highest floor of 10-1. The gigantic structure consisted of a total of 7 floors, making it quite a landmark aside from its factual popularity among the young and old alike.

"Of course not, silly" the girl beamed, "Although your fashion sense is a _bit_ lacking"

"I wear what I want…"

"Well, I never said it looked bad. Anyway, this is where our HQ is located. I'm sure right now you're thinking, 'Our HQ's a darn shopping center?' or something like that, but you'll be surprised" What was actually surprising was her ability to mimic Len's expression to quite an extent, much to the boy's slight irritation.

Going through the large glass doors, the two were greeted by that familiar vibe and atmosphere of people who just wanted to do something interesting and leave their work life behind just for a little while. "Hey, did you know?" Rin began, "Shegeru actually wasn't like this in the past. Before, it was called 'Shibuya', but because of the Buried Day, a lot of it was forcefully changed"

"The Buried Day?"

"Yup, it's what we call the incident 10 years ago that almost everyone forgot. I was the same age as you when it happened, and I can still remember that this place used to be called '109'. It was a shopping mall smaller than this one" Unlike her, Len wasn't aware of that change. He'd spent his early years in a prefecture quite far from Shibuya, let alone Tokyo.

Entering a round shaped elevator, Len glanced down at the view from the glass window of the locomotive. The numbers lit up one after another from 1 to 7. When it'd finally hit the last floor, the rest of the shoppers exited the elevator. Assuming it would go down that time around, Len was surprised to see that the machine had suddenly continued to rise until the appearance of the mall drastically changed to a long and spacious hallway that could fit right in at a five-star corporate building. After seeing all that his afternoon had to offer him, Len didn't allow anything else to catch him off-guard.

"Hey there. Glad to see you've joined us" A calm voice suddenly greeted as soon as the two had begun walking. In front of them was a man with dark blue hair, a long dark grey coat adorned with small belts and a necklace that resembled a cross with a lion engraved at the middle. The most notable thing, however, was the Popsicle stick hanging by his mouth. "Name's Kaito Aisukuri. Pleasure to meet you, kid" the twenty something year man said, extending a handshake to the boy.

"…I never said I'd be joining whatever this is. I only said I would hear you out" The boy replied, making the man smile as he moved his hand back.

"That so? Well, I'm sure you're aware by now that we don't force people into things. Whatever you pick is your own business. Alright then, as much I'd like to sit and chat, I've got a truck load of things that need some attention. See you kiddo, and you too rookie" the man finished with a casual tap on Len's shoulder before heading off to the elevator.

"Rookie?" Len uttered, making his companion chuckle.

"He's just like that. He treats all of us like we're his best friends. That said, he's pretty serious when it comes to being an Engraved, and his Pneuma's pretty top-class too…or so I've heard"

"A what now?" Len questioned once again.

"Oh, that's right! I haven't even told you what a Pneuma is yet, have I? To put it simply…it's our weapon against the Keii. My cellphone and dagger combined is my Pneuma" She said as she pulled out both items. Upon further observation, the knife in truth had a blunt edge. It was no wonder why it could simply be put in her pocket.

After a short minute, the two had arrived at a large dome-like room that seemed out of place with the rest of the structure. There were a few people present, but it seemed like they had all been waiting for the two to arrive. Len took note of a girl about his age with green hair, and an older man dressed in a suit to name a few.

Among them, a lady with aqua-blue pigtails stepped forward to greet them. "So this must be Len Kagami, then? Hmm…you're actually shorter in person"

"…Is that supposed to be an introduction?" Len fired back with a twitching right eye. They were practically the same height, with Len being only very slightly taller. If one were to look from afar, there wouldn't be a notable difference at all.

"Oh, sorry about that; Forget I even said anything" The woman smiled, making it hard for Len to really ignore her unintentional insult. "I'm Miku Hatsune, an Engraved just like all the others in this room. I'll get straight to the point now. We need your assistance in fighting the Keii. Normally, tracking an Engraved would be a difficult thing to do depending on how powerful their 'Psyche' is; In other words, the strength of their spirit. Tracking you down was pretty easy though, and the reason to that is because of your incredible Psyche. It was almost like finding a needle in a needle stack"

Aside from the lady's unorthodox comparison, Len contemplated about the so-called energy of the spirit. "If tracking me was as easy as you just said, why only ask for my help _now_?"

"Because your Psyche signature also matched a Keii's" A deep male voice interrupted, turning everyone's attention to a middle-aged man with short brown hair. His demeanour could be likened to a CEO's, and the same could be said about his luxurious clothing.

"Oh, chairman Al. I thought you had a meeting?" Miku greeted.

"It ended earlier than I'd expected. At least now I can meet Mr. Kagami face-to-face" Turning towards the blond boy, the businessman continued, "My name's Al Taragaki, and you could say I'm the head of this organization. You see, it was only about two days ago when your signature cleared up. Before that, we weren't certain whether to treat you as a friend or foe. It's good to know that the strong signature belonged to a human being, or it would've been problematic for us. Also…there was one other reason why I wanted to meet you in person. Mr. Kagami, I'm aware that the Buried Day had another – how should I say it? Traumatizing effect on you, yes?"

At that, Len's eyes slightly widened, clearly giving him away. He cursed at himself for acting surprised, but now there wasn't any way out.

"I thought as much" Al said with a concerned expression. "When you turned 10, everyone around you had _forgotten_ you even existed…and every day after that, any interaction you had with anyone would also be forgo-"

"Yeah, so you think you know all about me now, huh?" Len angrily interrupted, clenching his fist as he looked at the man with sharp eyes. It was obvious that only Al had known, basing from the surprise on the others' faces.

"I apologize…I seem to have said too much" the man said, clearing his voice afterwards. "But that is one of the things in particular I would like to discuss with you. That effect is caused by your overwhelming Psyche energy. Whenever you come in contact with a person outside of the Engraved, your Psyche consumes the energy of that person little by little. In response, your own mind releases any excess energy by the end of the day before an overload can occur"

Len responded, "You make it sound like I'm a circuit breaker"

"As a sort of metaphor, yes, but your mind is a much more complex thing. In the process of absorbing a target's energy, your Psyche also forcefully breaks any memory that person had with you in the hopes of he or she not approaching the next time you two may meet. Should that happen again, the process repeats itself like the hands of a clock circling a full 360 degrees"

Len despised the current topic. He hated thinking about that fact and tried to distract himself whenever his mind could even begin to ponder on it. "…So how's that supposed to help me? Sounds like you're just rubbing it right in my face"

"I'd like to help you by limiting your Psyche. That way, you won't have to worry about it acting on its own accord. There are three steps. First, we'll need to open a 'Soul Space'. This is the temporary area that represents a certain place at a given time"

"You mean the space where I'm standing right over the ocean?"

"Yes, though that space merely belongs to Rin. Each one is unique to the person that initiates it. For this to work, we need to initiate _your_ own space. It'll be difficult since you're unable to wield your Pneuma, but we can still perform a 'Breach' and force our way into your Psyche. The second step…and undoubtedly the hardest, is to normalize the area. We cannot modify your Psyche directly after a breach because the Soul Space would still be erratic. The only way to normalize the space, however, is to convince the being within your Psyche to let down its protection. Once that is done, the only thing left to do is to distribute the energy evenly throughout your body. Now, the question of the matter is…are you ready to take on the risks involved?"

For the most part, Len understood what the man was trying to get at. A part of him was anxious to start right away, but then he was also reluctant – afraid of what might happen if it fails or even succeeds. He was, however, the kind of person that would rather try and solve a problem rather than prolong it. If something were to happen, then at least he'd tried.

"Fine…I'll give it a shot. What do I have to do?"

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><p>Len was led into another room shortly afterwards to prepare for the process called 'Breaching'. The room consisted of numerous machines linked up together. The only thing Len could ask himself was how all this was hidden from the shoppers just below them.<p>

"We're just about ready" A man with thin glasses and dark chestnut hair spoke.

"Thank you, Kiyoteru" Al nodded in response before speaking to Rin who stood patiently. "I'm sorry for having you do this, but only one person may safely enter his Psyche, and being the first Engraved Len has ever talked to makes you our best bet. Even though he may not know it, you've officially become a person of great significance to him"

"G-Great significance?" Rin stuttered, her face slightly blushing with embarrassment coupled with a pinch of ignorant confusion. It may have just been the way Al had worded his sentence, but she wasn't sure whether to take it seriously or not.

When everything had been properly set up, Len and Rin were asked to stand on a wide platform at the center of the room.

"Commencing breach. Standby" The man named Kiyoteru announced, typing in a command that caused the white platform below to shine. "I'm gonna need you two to keep a clear mind. Just close your eyes and wait for me to give you the go signal"

Doing as asked, Len and Rin both shut their eyes and swept away any distractions. With closed eyes, their senses switched to their ears, following and remembering the clicking sounds of computers and the running of machines. In a few more seconds, those familiar sounds had disappeared and were replaced with the sound of an empty space.

"You can open your eyes now" Kiyoteru's voice echoed throughout the solitary world. He wasn't with them anymore, but somehow they could hear his voice. Not much else could be heard from where they were, but the scenery around them had a bit of a story to tell. There was static all around them – like a TV screen with a scratchy signal.

"I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to see you eye-to-eye, Lenny" Rin almost believed it was her companion that had spoken, but looking over her shoulder, the girl caught sight of an identical clone. The copy looked just like the original, save for the eyes which were deep reddish in color as a contrast to Len's blue eyes. "You like you've seen a ghost. Oh wait, I guess you kinda have" the clone laughed.

He didn't want anything to go wrong, so Len quickly went straight to the point and ignored any shock once again. "I didn't come here to mince words with you. I'm here to convince you to let down the lock so I can have this place 'refurnished'"

"Refurnished, you say? Do you even know what'll happen if I do that? Your body's a 'freakin time bomb! If I let down the lock, then you'll just absorb all the energy 'till you have a mental breakdown! You've seen those psychopath killers on the news, haven't you? Sounds to me like you're willing to write that down as your occupation for the rest of your life!" The copy's voice took on a senile tone, but all the facts he'd laid down were true. He was trying to protect both himself and Len.

"I'm aware of that" Len replied, "There's a way to stop it from happening, you just have to trust me!"

"Trust you? Like how you trust some random strangers you've only just met? You've been walking on your own for 6 years and you still haven't learned that sometimes trusting yourself is all there is? Forget it…you're too stupid to understand right now. Know what? I think I'm gonna do you a favor" At that, a translucent red blade appeared on the copy's right arm. As his limb moved inside the see-through sword, so did the weapon. "I'm gonna send you back into the real world and make sure you can _never_ come back"

With sharpened eyes, the copy dashed towards Len, only to be interrupted by Rin's dagger. Pulling out her phone at the same time, she quickly pointed it towards the hostile being and opened fire, causing the enemy to leap back. "If we can't convince you with words, then we'll just have to _make_ you listen to us!"

The copy grinned, "Is that right? Look little girl, I don't wanna end up killing you, so why don't you just-" Before he could finish, another streak of light shot close to his head, forcing him to sway slightly to the right. "I guess you've made up your mind then. It must be sad to die at the prime of your youth!"

Rin attacked with another shot, but the copy easily evaded it and every other beam as he drew closer. Shortening the distance between them, the enemy jumped high in the air, slashing away at another beam before clashing his weapon with Rin's. "What's the matter? You talked pretty big awhile ago!" With a strong arm, the hostile pushed her a good 10 feet back. Not wasting any time, Rin fired a single shot as a distraction to attack the copy's side. Unfortunately, the only thing she was able to hit was her opponent's weapon.

Len stood helplessly as he watched the two fight. Another feeling he despised was the feeling of weakness; the truth that he couldn't do anything to help. Along with that dreaded emotion, however, something began to spark inside him; a surge of strength that grew with every second that he stayed in that world.

Suddenly, Rin's opponent had disappeared, only to reveal himself behind her at the snap of a finger. Before she could even move, Rin felt the copy's arm wrap around her neck with a strong choke. Trying desperately to break free, the girl grabbed the spiritual being's arm with both hands, but to no avail. "You couldn't even give me a proper workout. See, Len? How could you put your faith in people this weak?" The look-alike sighed as he continued to choke-out his opponent.

"Stop! I said stop damnit!" Len exclaimed as his worry began to peak. Just then, the rush of power had finally reached its limit. With it, Len let out a strong yell that shook the environment around them like an invisible force.

"The hell?" The copy muttered before letting his target go. As Rin now caught her breath, her eyes focused on a transformed Len. His blue eyes were glowing a bright shade, and he held two swords similar to the single translucent weapon attached to his clone's arm.

Emanating a colossal energy from his body, the tranced Len whispered, "Wake up…Adagio"


	3. Starting on a new road

Hi there, I'm back with a new chapter. Nayomi-Kiiroibara – Thanks for making this an exception. I'll be sure to wish you a happy birthday this coming December! And yup, I'll be using a few music terms here and there  
>And by the way, kudos to those who can guess how I came up with kaito's lastname. Hint: I got it from his vocaloid profile lol. Okay then, let's start with the chapter.<p>

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><p>Advent<br>Chapter 3: Starting on a new road

"Len?" Rin muttered as both she and the boy's clone witnessed the insurmountable energy that her friend gave off. Along with the trembling atmosphere, the scenery around them began to take another turn. The former grey and unclear background had changed its form to what had seemed like a blackened sky with many bright stars scattered about.

"I see…so that's how it's gonna be, Lenny?" The twin said, displaying a genuine smile for the first time. "After 6 long years…I guess you've finally found the start line. Alright then! Give me all you got!"

With a roar, both Len and his twin sprinted towards each other, smashing their weapons together to create a split second force that repelled both of them away. Not stopping there, they immediately closed the distance, exchanging slashes one after another as the blades sparked with each clash. Leaping backwards, Len quickly changed the form of his left weapon into a translucent firearm with a large double barrel and fired a few shots from mid-air. Defending himself, the clone smashed his sword onto the ground, creating a wave that disintegrated the fired shots.

The copy found himself surprised, however, when Len quickly appeared through the wave and pushed him into the air with a powerful swing. Len followed up on the attack by shifting his left weapon into a lance that he quickly threw upwards before leaping to the airborne target.

"Amazing…" Rin softly said, still sitting on the ground as she watched the fast-paced battle.

"He's finally awakened his Pneuma" Kiyoteru echoed. "What he's displaying now is the full extent of his abilities. His power won't nearly be the same once outside his own psyche…but this is still incredible"

At a certain point, the two fighters began to wind up every bit of energy in their bodies, releasing an erratic red aura that spread outwards. "This is pretty fun, don't you agree, Lenny?" The teen's other self spoke as both of them readied themselves for one final strike.

"Tempest Adagio!" Both exclaimed at the top of their lungs as their translucent blades ignited with crimson flames and electrified with azure sparks. Shaking the very structure of the space, they each landed a crowning finish that filled the area with a loud explosion paired with a blinding light.

Rin immediately covered her eyes as the light reached its peak. The tremor soon faded away into an echo, and the scene eventually dimmed down, allowing Rin to let down her arm and see the aftermath of the attack. On the left stood Len with his weapons sheathed away, and on the right was his opponent who now sat on the ground with his hand resting on one knee.

"Damn…I haven't seen you try this hard at something since that little talent show 8 years ago" the copy Len shrugged. "Geez, now you're getting me to sound like an old man. I guess you really _have_ found your tailwind at last" Getting back on his feet, the twin walked towards Len and extended his hand. Although a bit reluctant at first, Len eventually took the friendly sentiment. "I've got this hunch you'll turn out to be a great 'partner'. Remember though, I'll be keeping an eye on you so don't get too cocky just because of one accomplishment. And here's a bit of advice: learn to speak up more, will 'ya? Especially to your cute little friend over there. She's a bit on the 'lacking' side, but it ain't so bad"

"E-Excuse me?" Rin interrupted with a raised eyebrow. "I can hear you! And what do you mean 'on the _lacking_ side?'"

"Yikes…maybe I shouldn't have said that. Anyway, I'll see you around…partner"

And for the first time in a long time, Len truly felt like smiling. "Yeah, see you around" he replied, leaving his partner to fade away with a satisfied expression as the scene around them ultimately cleared up completely. The change revealed that it wasn't a night sky after all, but a gorgeous spectacle of outer space complete with a dark shade of blue, an array of vibrant Auroras hovering over a nearby Earth, and a dazzling circular galaxy in the distance to name just a few.

"It's just…beautiful" Rin noted. Len couldn't agree more, and as he gazed at the scenery, he reflected on his new ally. In the end, his clone was simply testing him – analyzing whether or not Len had taken that first step into a new chapter of his life.

Suddenly, Kiyoteru's voice could be heard once again. "Good job, both of you. I'll be taking you back in a second so sit tight. Oh, and Len, don't be surprised if you find yourself on the bed. This process has taken a toll on your body and when you come back, you'll quickly fall asleep" In truth, Len was already feeling lightheaded even though he wasn't in the real world yet. In a couple of seconds, the boy slowly closed his eyes with no regrets.

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><p>"And that's what happened" Miku's voice concluded through the other end of the cellphone. On the receiving side was the blue haired man named Kaito, standing in an empty white space as he held the phone to his ear.<p>

"Hmm…seems like we've gotten ourselves a real powerhouse in the making. I just hope that power doesn't end up spinning out of control. I'd really hate to deal with another situation like that"

"You and me both" Miku replied, still keeping a positive tone. "Which is why we're all gonna need to keep an eye out for him. Still, something tells me he'll be able to control it, but I guess it could just be wishful thinking. Anyway, did you find any leads on Kamui?"

With a sigh, the coat-wearing man replied, "Nope, not a single clue. He sure is leading us on a wild goose chase here. I noticed something different about the Keii in this area though; as much as I hate to say it, I think they're getting a little too desperate" At that, Kaito's eyes turned towards the vast legion of Keii that were lying on the ground, all fading away into black dust. "Instead of focusing on Kamui, I think we'll need to put our heads together for this little problem. I'll stick around a bit here so it looks like you'll have to start training the kid without me. Kaito out" Finally slipping the phone back in his pocket, the blue haired man placed the thin popsicle stick back in his mouth as he gazed at the deserted space.

"I guess this place _could_ use some renovation sometime soon"

* * *

><p>Slowly opening his eyes, Len stared at the simple white ceiling above him. For a few seconds, his mind couldn't recall what had happened, but it eventually all came back to him. Drawn to the sound of repetitive clicking, the boy leaned his head slightly forward to see Rin who sat by the doorway as she texted on her phone. It was the same pink phone she'd used to produce those loud and deadly beams of light, making it a bit awkward for Len to see it being used how it was meant to be used.<p>

"Oh, you're awake. Good evening, sleepyhead!" The girl smiled before Len looked at the window behind him that depicted a night-time scene in Shegeru. The city lights were now in full swing, and the crowd had gotten even busier from the room's high view. "Pretty good view, right? We're pretty high up in 10-1, after all"

Before she even mentioned that, Len had forgotten about that fact. He was still in Shegeru Mall, or at least, the part of it that was reserved just for the Engraved. From the view, he could see another of those wide-screens that were recently gaining popularity around Tokyo. The evening news was on, and even though Len couldn't hear it, he could still see what was on the screen. It was a replay of the bulletin earlier regarding Rina Kagami's sudden disappearance. It was ironic that the very subject of that issue was right next to him.

"…So why did you quit?" Len asked his companion, shifting his gaze from the screen to her. Seeing the large TV screen, Rin realized what he'd meant.

"Oh that…well, I wouldn't really call it 'quitting'. I just found something more important to do right now, that's all. And besides, I think I've had enough of all the publicity for awhile. Doing what my manager tells me to do all the time is pretty tiring" She put on a happy face, but the analytical Len could see the hint of uncertainty in her voice. He wasn't the type of person to delve into an issue that wasn't his business, so he decided to leave it at that. "Okay then, your turn" Rin continued, "I don't really know anything about you at all except for the data I got which was pretty much on the non-personal side"

"Then that's all you're getting" Len denied with squinting eyes.

"Someone's being stingy tonight. Come on…pretty please? It's kinda boring to just know that your blood type is O, or your birthday is on December 15, or that your height is only one hundred and s-"

"I-I don't need to hear that!" Len rebuked, making a sly smile appear on the girl's face.

"Oho, Mister confidential is actually sensitive about his height. It's no wonder why you keep your life a secret"

"Stop twisting my words around!" Len complained, only making the girl chuckle.

"Then tell me at least one thing about yourself and I'll be satisfied with that. If you don't want me _constantly_ mentioning your height, then you'll probably want to get this over and done with"

The defeated Len had no choice but to give up. He wasn't fond of losing, but he hated being hassled even more. He thought of lying, but at that moment he couldn't think of any decoy to say. "I like eating…bananas…" It was a failed attempt of trying to lie since what he'd said was, in fact, the truth and nothing but the truth.

"See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Rin replied with a victorious smile. "Now as your prize, you can have this little decoration!" Rin happily took out a plant hidden behind her the whole time. It was a small plant with pink leaves. If that didn't make the plant unique, then its glowing petals would. "It's a glowing sakura plant to commemorate your new room. It's a pretty new discovery so there's not too many of them"

The thought of having a new room wasn't such a bad idea to Len. He'd been living by himself the whole time that it was starting to be a bore.

"There was…also something I wanted to ask you" Rin started as she placed the unique plant on a shelf. "You don't go to school, do you? I mean…because people would forget you?" Rin felt a little guilty saying it, but it was something she needed to know.

Len nodded in confirmation, "I self-study whenever I can. It's pretty much the only alternative"

"I see…well, I'm going to fix that" the blond smiled warmly. "I'll ask Chairman Al to enrol you in Shegeru Chishiki. I used to study alone just like you, and I can say wholeheartedly that it's not nearly as fun as being in school"

"School? But I-"

"Trust me, you'll come to like it" Rin interrupted convincingly. "The school festival's coming up in a month, and everyone's doing their best to prepare. It's a really good time to start since we're all hyped up for something. Heck, you could even be part of it the second you come in!"

Len paused for a moment. Being alone ever since he was 10 meant he wasn't the split image of a people-person in the slightest. The thought of being together with a ton of people at once truthfully wasn't a scene he imagined himself in. Nevertheless, that positive portion of his heart forced the boy to nod at Rin's suggestion.

"Great, I'll get to it then!" the girl finished as she stood up from her seat. "You should get some more rest now. Your body still hasn't recovered and if you move too much, you'll find yourself really sore for training tomorrow" And finally, the teen exited the room, but not before wishing her new friend a good night.


	4. Finding his strength

Wow...I am extremely late with this update lol. I've been busy with a ton of things, including composing for an RPG project which I can't really say until the maker finally announces it. I've also been practicing on my drawing (Which has been a bit slow as of late lol).

Elise RPL Neko - Yeah, I've read the manga...but it doesn't really seem canon at all haha

Donkeh - Thanks! Sorry i haven't update in like forever. I haven't been active on YT at all either because of the composing lol

asianchibi99 - I shall try and update quicker from now on lol. Btw, I've fallen in love with that fic of yours, roommate _ if you see this, please update soon :D

* * *

><p>Advent<br>Chapter 4: Finding his strength

A clear sunset sky hung over the landscape, and in the middle of nowhere was a small coastline where two people sat on its white sand. One of them was Rin, and the other was a slightly taller girl with long yellow hair that was tied to one side.

"So, any news on the outside world, Rin?" the taller of the two asked with her back lying on the fine sand and her eyes gazing into the sky.

"Nothing much...but we got a new member just the other day" Rin smiled as she sat up. "His name's Len Kagami. he's an engraved just like us, but..."

"But what?" Her friend replied, sitting up as well.

Rin remembered Len's condition; how he had to endure so many years keeping himself away from people because they'd always forget about his very existence. because of this, he didn't have anyone he could talk to as a friend.

Rin explained, and a short silence hung over the two. "I see...that's too bad" the long haired girl mumbled, contemplating for a moment before reverting to a laid-back tone. "But hey, at least it won't happen anymore, right? He'll come around eventually. So tell me, what do _you _think about him?"

"huh? What do I think?" Rin replied with a puzzled tone.

"I mean is he your type?"

"wh-what! Come on! I mean, we only just met!"

"It's just a joke. You don't have to get all flustered about it" her friend laughed as Rin puffed her cheeks in defeat.

The two friends talked for a bit under the warm orange sky until the taller girl finally stood up. "You should be getting back, Rin. I'm sure there's a lot of stuff you have to do. And don't give me the 'weekend excuse' because it won't work"

Rin frowned a bit at first, but nodded obediently. "I know...it's just that I miss talking to you. In the real world, I mean" the teen said as she stood up. "Someday, I'll get you out of this, Neru. I promise"

Seeing the glint of determination in her friend's eyes, the person named Neru couldn't help but smile. "Just don't overdo it, alright? It would kinda suck if both of us were in the same situation"

Rin nodded, "yeah, I know. See you" at that, her surroundings began to disappear. Even her friend had faded away. Soon, Rin found herself in a small white room where she'd been sleeping the whole time, right next to a familiar figure. It was Neru, sleeping just as Rin had been, but was still unconscious. She wore a hospital gown and had cords attached to medicine and machines. sheepishly, the blue eyed girl sat up straight on the chair she'd placed right beside the bed and rubbed her eyes. For her, this wasn't a new scene to wake up to, and it was never a scene that made her happy.

"Neru...goodnight for now" the teen whispered as she gently held a small object in her hand. It was a cellphone; the same one she would use against the keii. Standing up and walking towards the door, she looked back to her friend one more time before quietly exiting the room.

* * *

><p>It had been a couple of days since Len had awakened as an engraved. His power wasn't even close to how it was when he had first displayed it, but it was growing at a steady pace.<p>

"Come on, Lenny, we haven't even sparred for more than 15 minutes yet" Miku sighed as she stared at her training partner who currently tried to catch his breath.

"Shut up...just give me...a minute" the boy argued in response. From afar, Rin, along with Kiyoteru Hiyama, observed Len's progress.

"He seems pretty exhausted" Rin mentioned with slight worry.

"It's to be expected" Kiyoteru replied as he adjusted his glasses. "Right now, Len's exerting a lot of energy to control his psyche. As you've already seen, Len's Pneuma doesn't allow him to wield a catalyst. Catalysts like your dagger make it easier for engraved to control the amount of energy that goes into the core. In your case Rin, it's that phone of yours, though I'm sure you're already aware of that"

Miku held a thin blade designed for quick and sudden attacks. it was nothing elegant, but the weapon still seemed sturdy. Len, on the other hand, fought bare handed, but there was a reason to that.

"Alright! Let's start it up again!" Miku exclaimed as she gave her blade one quick swish before dashing towards a readied Len. At the beginning of his training, Len could barely hold his own, but now he was able to go on the offensive even just for a short time. Every time Miku would attack, her opponent quickly defended himself by moving his hands in slashing movements as if he'd been holding an invisible weapon. "Keep that pace up!" The teal haired girl grinned before flashing out swift thrusts and slashes.

One by one Len either evaded or swung his hand to deflect. This guarding technique was something the teen had picked up on his first day.

"Hmm...I don't get it" a voice said from the sidelines, drawing Rin and Kiyoteru's attention towards a green haired girl that had just entered the room. Her casual clothing mainly consisted of dark yellow colors, but the most prominent item were the red tinted goggles resting on her head. Her eyes seemed a bit uninterested in the scene before her, but her curiosity in Len got the better of her. "His hands are his Pneuma?"

"Not quite, Gumi" Kiyoteru answered, "take a closer look. You'll see what I mean"

Narrowing her droopy eyes, Gumi finally took notice of Len's ability. Each swing of his hand created a translucent haze from his fingertips. They were bluish in color, shaped like a sword's tip and short in Length. It was difficult to catch it at first glance because the haze would only appear for about half a second.

"Oh...so that's why his hand's still attached after taking all those hits" Gumi concluded, nodding twice as if she'd solved the mystery of a lifetime.

Hearing her companion's sudden realization, Rin couldn't help but smile awkwardly before gazing back at the sparring match. She'd noticed that Len had gotten the hang of the fundamentals in attacking and defending, but there was still one more aspect he needed to be aware of.

"Alright, I think we're about done with the basics" Miku smiled, satisfied with the current progress and eager to continue. "Let's move on to the next phase then, shall we? What you've been doing till' now was simply getting you accustomed to offense and defense _without_ utilizing your Pneuma"

Len responded, "What do you mean? I've been using it since we first started training"

"You've been using it - not utilizing it. I think…it'd be better if I showed you. Sonata!" As soon as Miku finished, a blue light began to emanate from her weapon, shaping it into a different blade entirely. The formerly simple sword was now endowed with a gold hilt and a sky-blue edge. If Len could sum it up, it seemed like a stage prop – only real. Changing her stance, Miku moved one foot back and drew her arm back as well. "You might wanna brace yourself!" The teal-haired girl warned before springing both her arm and leg forward with great force, unleashing a flash of energy that darted across the room.

"_Damn! I can't move out of the way!"_ Len immediately estimated. With only one choice remaining, the boy slashed at the speeding energy. Though he'd managed to hit it, the impact sent him flying to the far-end of the dome.

"Wow…he actually flew…" Gumi mentioned, now slightly more interested in the battle.

A worried Rin added, "Sh-shouldn't we stop this? It doesn't really seem like training anymore…" Kiyoteru, on the other hand, wasn't too worried.

"This is just Miku's way of doing things" The learned man responded with a reassuring smile. "It may be a little rash, but she knows when she's going too far. Many of us have had their psyche automatically awaken, but for Len, it's a different story. Because of his past experience his mind is constantly hesitating, and this is something Miku wants to get rid of. In order to do that, she has to_ force_ Len to make use of his psyche"

It made sense to Rin. Technically, she was still a bit of a rookie herself, so she didn't know as much as Kiyoteru, a man who'd been among the founders of this group of Engraved. Still, it was normal to feel even a little bit of worry.

"Did you take note of that, Lenny?" Miku started, watching the blond teen get back up. "What I just did is called a 'Variance'. All of our psyche abilities have a foundation – something that makes them similar at first, but it's up to you how you'd want to branch out from that foundation. Don't think of anything big that you wouldn't be able to do. Just take it one step at a time and believe in your"

"_A foundation?" _Len repeated in his mind. "_In that last attack…she shot that energy using her sword"_

But before he could get anywhere else, Miku began attacking once again. After a few thrusts, the girl leaped backwards and once again readied her stance. "Stinger!" she yelled, firing that straight arrow of energy from her blade. This time, Len had predicted it as soon as he saw her stance and barely evaded it. _"my energy comes from my hands…but it disappears too fast and it's too short for me to get her before she does that move . Can't really use long-ranged attacks either…"_

From the benches, Kiyoteru smiled as he continued to watch. "He's finally putting his focus to work" the man said, catching Rin's attention. "In a situation like this, Len can't afford to hesitate, and now he's thinking of ways to climb over the hurdle in front of him"

As he fought, Len repeatedly forced himself to think. In the midst of all that contemplation, he grew more aware of his abilities, the things he couldn't do and the things he may be capable of doing. Finally, his gut feeling picked one idea out of the rest. It was a hunch, but at the same time felt very possible as if some inner voice had convinced him.

"It's worth a shot!" Len exclaimed, this time sprinting towards his opponent who grinned in response.

"There's that spunk I've been looking for!" She said, moving to her stance one more time and firing another burst of energy. At that moment, Len put all his concentration on the blast.

"_Now!"_ with a single stride, the boy dashed diagonally with incredible speed, evading the attack completely and moving to Miku's side in a second. "Got you now!" In his mind, Len was now confident he'd gotten a clear shot, but much to his surprise, a strong gust suddenly flipped the attacker right off his feet and unto the ground. Before the boy could even tell what had happened, a blade was held right in front of his forehead – the same blade that belonged to Miku, but had now taken the shape of a katana.

"You learn pretty quick" Miku beamed as she helped the astonished Len up on his feet. She could see that his gaze was still fixed on the katana. It was only natural, since the teen barely had any time to react to the sudden counterattack.

"Oh, I'm guessing you're wondering about the sword, right? Remember what I said about foundations? Well, you and I both have Pneuma that manipulates energy, but the difference is that mine needs a medium. Using that medium, I can direct the flow of energy based on its shape and size"

"Her medium being the sword, by the way" Kiyoteru interrupted as he, Rin and Gumi approached the two. "You see, Miku's been trained in many sword styles, and what you saw were only her sabre and katana styles. Had she stuck with the sabre, you would have had the advantage in terms of angle since its main strength is thrusting. Instead, she turned the sabre into a katana, a style she uses in countering by projecting short-ranged but wide-perimeter energy waves"

Len felt proud of himself, but at the same time disappointed. Proud at the fact that he was able to improve himself, but disappointed at the fact that it wasn't enough to get the upper hand.

"You did great though, Len!" Rin added, "I didn't know you could transfer the energy to your feet as well"

Kiyoteru nodded, "She's right. As Miku had requested, I didn't reveal the fact that your whole body is actually your Pneuma. This is the only time I've seen a Pneuma that distributes the energy throughout your entire body. This gives you a wide array of tactics, such as what you did to increase your speed by an astounding degree"

Suddenly though, Len felt a rush of fatigue hit him. He still wasn't used to his new power, but he thought it was a good enough start. He grew even sleepier as the seconds went by until everything finally went black.

* * *

><p>"I see…so you think he's ready?" Chairman Al said from his old fashioned leather seat, facing towards Miku who nodded in confidence.<p>

"Yeah, I think Len's gotten strong enough to handle the Keii, and just in time for the next Terra Rip too. I hear it's gonna be a big one"

"Yes, it will" Al replied, resting his chin on his hands. "About a fourth of Grand Terra is expected to be involved. We've already contacted the different branches there regarding our strategy. According to Luka, things may be a little more difficult than before…especially with the number of windows estimated to appear"

"So how many windows are we looking at, chairman?" Miku asked, causing the large man to sigh.

"We're looking at about 15 windows give or take" He replied, surprising the teal haired girl a bit. Nonetheless, the young lady kept a confident grin on her face.

"15, huh? That's gonna take some effort…but that's where we pretty much excel at, right?"

"Hmph, never willing to back down from something like this, are you? Well then, I'll be counting on all of you" The man finished before changing the topic. "By the way, Rin asked me to have Len enrolled in Shegeru Chishiki the other day. I think it'd be a rather good experience for the boy"

"School? Sounds like a good idea, actually. With his problem gone for the time being, he could learn a thing or two by being with friends. Heck, it would even do his psyche some good. I'll have Rin keep a close eye on him just in case"


	5. Nostalgia

So, this was a pretty quick update lol. It's summer break right now so I've got the time for a lot of things lately. Plots and miscellaneous info will be explained little by little, but please ask me if there's something that's bothering you about the details. Well, unto the story :)

* * *

><p>Advent<br>Chapter 5: Nostalgia

Whenever Len would look in the mirror, it would always be for spotting a stain on his shirt, a cut on his cheek or anything else out of the ordinary. It was very seldom he'd spend even a minute at the mirror to check if his clothing was styled right or if the colors didn't blend.

Now, however, he had a reason to use up even five minutes. The reason for that is because it'd been forever since he'd worn a uniform. The black slacks and coat with thin blue stripes, the yellow tie and the white shirt were all something that seemed so unfamiliar on his body.

"Len? It's almost time to go. The others are waiting for us at the elevator" Rin casually informed after giving the door two quick knocks. Seconds later, the knob turned and the door slowly swung open, revealing Len in his new clothing. "Not bad. I think the tie suits you" the girl happily uttered, making the bashful Len blush just a little bit.

"Whatever…I still think this is a bad idea, though" the blond teen replied, taking notice of Rin's uniform that consisted of almost the same articles of clothing, save for the red skirt and the thin red lines on the coat.

"It'll be fine. Just act natural…without the whole 'don't talk to me' kind of vibe, okay?"

"Then I guess that's not exactly natural anymore, is it? And stop making me of as some emo kid…"

As the two approached the elevator, Len could see a few more people in similar uniform. One of them was a taller man with dark brown hair and eyes. Being a person that instantly scans people he meets, Len sensed a feeling of confidence oozing from this person just by his posture. The others were two girls, with the first having deep red eyes and hair styled in a ponytail. The second was the seemingly distracted Gumi, one of the few people Len had met on his first few days.

"Oh! So this is the greenhorn!" The red clad girl exclaimed, scanning the boy from top to bottom with sharp eyes. "Name's Cul Kitamura! Nice to meet you, lemon head!"

"…L-Lemon what?" Len mumbled, feeling his eyebrow slightly twitch. He knew right then and there that the girl was pertaining to his hair, but he'd never in his life picture it as some sort of fruit.

"You'll have to excuse Cul's manners" the brunette interrupted with a rather calm tone. "Hola, my name is Bruno Guiseppe. I'm originally from the western Engraved branch, Aegis, but was transferred here not too long ago. Nice to meet you" he offered a handshake shortly afterwards, but was met without a reaction from Len.

"…Denied" Gumi softly said, causing the man to finally pull his hand back as Cul began to laugh.

"Well, that's alright too" Bruno replied. "Anyway, we should get going. There are still some things I have to take care of for the upcoming festival"

Upon entering the elevator, a sudden thought came across Len's mind. He'd forgotten for a moment that they were actually inside the Shegeru mall which opened later in the morning, meaning they wouldn't be able to leave the mall because it'd be locked at the time. The boy didn't bother asking though. For something this trivial, he was sure the Engraved had a way of dealing with it.

As soon as the elevator door opened, the group was met with an empty mall. No shoppers, no staff – nothing at except for the two guards at the entrance. With a smile, the uniformed men greeted the students.

"Good morning. Have a good day!" One of them said with a welcoming tone. At this point, Len had a pretty good hunch what was really going on.

"…We own this whole mall, don't we?" The boy guessed with an unsurprised poker face.

Rin nodded, "Yup. Pretty cool, huh? But…that doesn't mean we get discounts. Chairman Al always says we need to be fair with ourselves"

* * *

><p>While not having any ownership of Shegeru Chishiki, the Engraved had a good relationship with the school thanks to the principal being a close friend of Chairman Al. Increasing the efficiency of the psyche called for both training and interaction, with the former being able to strengthen the psyche and the latter to extend the limitations of one's psyche.<p>

After a good fifteen minute walk, the group had finally arrived. The school bore many similarities with any other, though it was still a nostalgic feeling for Len to be standing in front of its gates.

"Well, I guess we'll be seeing you guys later" Rin said as she waved at her companions before facing Len and Cul who were apparently in the same class. Gumi was a year higher, and Bruno was already a senior. "The freshmen classrooms are on the second floor. We can give you a tour later during break"

And just like that, the boy found himself having to deal with introductions. It's not that he was nervous about it, but the teen just wanted to skip things that demanded he say something about himself. In the first place, he thought there wasn't even much to say about himself that was interesting, save for the past few days that were nothing short of extraordinary, but alas had to be kept confidential to the average person.

"Well, Len, would you like to say something to your classmates?" Miss Oikawa, the homeroom teacher of class 1-C, politely asked. The new student would've liked to give an outright 'no', but he wasn't fond of making enemies on his first day. That being said, he struggled trying to find anything to say in those short seconds, but finally spoke up with the first thing he _could_ think of.

"Uhh…well…where do I sit?" Len thought that it was enough, but he didn't expect the class to suddenly start giggling at what he'd said. On the left side of the room, he could hear Cul's laughter the most.

"Excited to start the class, aren't we?" The teacher smiled, pointing to an empty seat at about the middle of the room. "You'll be sitting next to Yuuma Hizuma, but unfortunately he's not present…again. Honestly, he does keep good grades, but his attendance is starting to put a big minus"

The next hours flew by quickly. Even if Len hadn't attended many years of school, he'd practically taught himself many things already. There were still many lessons he had some trouble following, but overall he felt good that all the self-studying helped somewhat. By the time he'd noticed, it was already their lunch break, and the group of Engraved gathered on the rooftop of the school.

"And Len just suddenly asks where to sit!" Cul continued to happily narrate to the group. Len wasn't surprised to hear that this girl was actually the class representative, but he just wished she'd level down her rowdy demeanour even a little bit.

"By the way, Len" Bruno began, "I've heard your Pneuma gives you the ability to direct the flow of psyche energy to anywhere in your body. Is this true?"

"Yeah, though it's been a pain trying to control it" Len said, staring at his right hand while thinking back to his last training day. It also occurred to him that the only other Pneuma he was aware of were Miku and Rin's. Luckily for him, Cul was just about to voluntarily reveal hers. Taking a silver lighter from her pocket, the red-haired teen suddenly sparked a small flame. "Wh-What are you-"

"This one's _my_ Pneuma" Cul mentioned as a portion of the small flame suddenly left the lighter and floated in mid-air. As the girl twirled her index finger, the fire mimicked the movement and danced around like in a magic show until she clenched her fist. At that very second, the fire immediately solidified into a black chunk and fell on the ground.

Rin started, "Cul can manipulate fire down to its very structure. She can even turn it into solid rock like this one" Years ago, Len had read about the composition of fire. One particular element it had caused the teen to make another educated guess.

"A black rock…it's carbon, isn't it?"

Cul nodded, "Bingo! It's no wonder you were able to keep up with the lessons. As long as its still connected to the fire, I can modify even its components! Alright, enough about me. Maybe Bruno and Gumi should go next"

With a shake of his head, Bruno respectfully declined. "While I'd like to, I can't risk doing something like that in the school. Mine's way too loud so it'd just cause a ruckus. Gumi's Pneuma is pretty subtle, but it's better off being used in Grand Terra than here"

"Grand Terra?" Len repeated. He'd heard those words in the past few days, but it was only then when the opportunity to ask presented itself. Clearing her throat, Cul immediately explained.

"I guess you could call it a parallel world or something like that. It's a world filled with psyche energy, but it's also where most of the Keii reside. Every now and then, the Keii try to enter this world through people who don't have any psyche abilities, and therefore have no protection whatsoever. So, how does it happen, you ask? Well, this world and Grand Terra are connected through a series of natural bridges, and there are times when these bridges grow weak. The Keii use this chance to rip through Grand Terra and enter our world. Remember the Buried Day? That's an example of what would happen if too many bridges were to break at once. The Keii would be wandering all over the place like cockroaches, and it would take a while just to stabilize everything"

Len was never fond of recalling that tragic day, and at that moment it was clear on his face. "…Another calamity would happen…" He mumbled, making Cul remember Len's experience.

"S-Sorry! Didn't mean to bring you back to that time! I heard about it from the chairman and-"

"It's fine…" the blond boy replied, letting out a sigh as he gazed up at the blue sky above them. "I'm not gonna gain anything by beating around the bush. What's done is done, and all I can do is keep moving. I've been thinking about it for a few days now, so I'd rather not change my current train of thought because of a few depressing memories"

When Rin had first met him, Len's way of thinking was quite different than it was at present. With that in mind, the girl smiled in relief that he was slowly improving. "So, Len" Rin spoke, "You're helping us with the festival, right? I've already got something in mind for y-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…hold it right there. I never agreed to help you out with whatever that is"

"But it'll be loads of fun! I promise! Please help us, Len!" Another unfamiliar scene besides school was the picture of a person that begged him for help. With her head bowed and her hands clasped together in such innocence, Rin made it difficult for Len to decide what to do.

Bruno laughed, "Oho, she's got you cornered, amigo. It would be very unfitting to reject a lady's offer when she's putting so much effort into it"

"_I'm the one having a hard time right now, damnit!" _Len thought to himself, slowly feeling his pride diminish into the black abyss. His brain quickly weighed-in the pros and cons. The cons mainly involved being hassled, and Len was still currently trying to find a single pro. In the end, however, there was nothing to do but surrender. He didn't know why, but it felt like a losing battle no matter what he'd choose.

"Tch…alright, already. What do you need me to do?" At the snap of a finger, Rin's face had welled up with gratitude. Admittedly, for him it was a nice sight to see and probably the only consolation.

"Thank you so much! You won't regret it!" she chirped, taking out a few papers from a small bag. It'd seemed that she was crossing her fingers on Len's decision. "I was planning on performing with a band for the festival. We already have three members including me and Cul, and we would really appreciate it if you joined us too! And…I kinda saw the guitar in your room so-"

"What part of privacy do you _not_ get?" Len fired back with crossed arms.

"B-But the door was halfway open and I just happened to see it by the wall. I swear I wasn't trying to barge into your room or anything!" Len wasn't a lie detector, but it was fairly obvious from Rin's apologetic and desperate expression that she wasn't straying from the truth. Still, there was one problem.

Len sighed, "Okay…maybe that was my fault. I don't really play the guitar though. It was something given to me long ago and I've kept it ever since. My knowledge with that thing is pretty much zip"

"It's never too late to learn though" Gumi added with her cheerful yet soft-spoken tone.

Before they could continue to discuss, however, the group was distracted by a sudden song that started to play. Rin quickly reached into her pocket and took out a yellow cellphone different from the one used in battle. "It's Miku. I wonder what she wants" Answering the call, the girl was immediately met with a serious tone.

"Rin, I need you guys back here ASAP. There's been a development on the Terra Rip, and quite frankly, we're going to need to put in a lot more effort this time. It's about the number of expected windows. We recorded a total of 14 the other day…and now they've been shooting up way too fast. As of now…we might have to deal with twice that number"

"N-No way…how can there be so many of them?"

"We only have a good hunch to ride on, but it's better if all of you were present to hear this. Over and out"

Slowly putting the phone down, Rin faced the group with concern.

Bruno began, "Are you alright? What happened?" It was clear that something was wrong, but Rin hesitated to speak.


End file.
